Arpajon () is a commune in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.department in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region of northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Location

Arpajon is the capital of a canton located in the Paris urban area in the heart of the department of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

( Notre-Dame - point zero for distances from Paris), 15 kilometres west of Évry, 14 km south of Palaiseau, 6 km south of Montlhéry, 14 km north-west of La Ferté-Alais, 19 km east of Dourdan, 17 km west of Corbeil-Essonnes, 18 km north of Étampes, and 26 km north-west of Milly-la-Forêt. The commune is also 410 km north of its

homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either; '' homographs''—words that mean different things, but have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation), or '' homophones''—words that mean different things, but have the same pronunciat ...

Arpajon-sur-Cère in

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

department., the original stronghold of the lords of the town. The commune consists of only 240

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

but it is the capital of Arpajonnais Country which extends from Breuillet in the east to Brétigny-sur-Orge in the west and from Leuville-sur-Orge in the north to Cheptainville in the south. The relatively small size of the commune does not preclude a significant height differential from 89 to 47 metres altitude which causes a relatively large concentration of buildings on nearly 80% of the territory. Agricultural areas, which represent only 10% of the territory, are located in the extreme north-east of the commune along Route nationale 20.

Hydrography

Arpajon lies at the confluence of the ''Rémarde'' and the Orge rivers which join then separate in the centre of the town to permanently join at the border with Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon. On the communal area the two rivers flow in parallel, the Rémarde coming from the west from Ollainville and, further south, the Orge comes from Égly with both streams flowing towards the north-east.

Relief and geology

The city centre is in the Orge valley at an altitude of approximately 47 metres but the territory extending north and south rises rapidly to the Avrainville plateau in the south, La Norville in the east, and the start of the Linas hill to the north which means it is necessary to climb to exit the commune. The highest point in the commune at 89 metresGéoportail

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

is located north of the Butte-aux-Grès area near the Linas forest. Due to the low height of the town relative to the surroundings there are many television receiving antennae which are sometimes ten metres above the roofs. The territory lies on the boundary of the

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

geological area of the Paris basin and the sand of the Beauce with, in the extreme north, the remains of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

quarries.

Climate

Arpajon is located in

and enjoys an attenuated oceanic climate characterized by cold winters, warm summers, and rainfall evenly distributed over the year. The average temperatures recorded at the departmental station at Brétigny-sur-Orge (5 km north-east of Arpajon) came to 10.8 °C with average maximum and minimum of 15.2 °C and 6.4 °C. The actual maximum and minimum temperatures recorded are 24.5 °C in July and 0.7 °C in January with record temperatures of 38.2 °C on 1 July 1952 and -19.6 °C on 17 January 1985. The situation in the large suburbs of the commune leads to a lower urban density than Paris with a negative difference of one to two degrees Celsius compared to Paris. Located near the Paris city centre and without the presence of large areas of culture, however, sunshine hours for the commune amounted to 1,798 annually as it is throughout the north of the department. With 598.3 millimeters of rainfall over the year and an approximate distribution of 50 mm per month, the town receives rainfall in the same proportion as other regions north of the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

Communication and transport

The main transport route for the commune is Route nationale 20 which has avoided the centre of town by a deviation west since 1956 and crosses Arpajon from north to south. The commune is also the point of convergence of three important departmental roads: the D116D that leads to Dourdan in the west, the D449 that leads to La Ferté-Alais in the south, and the D152 that leads to Brétigny-sur-Orge in the east and to Limours in the west which is duplicated by the D97 which also goes to Limours. In addition there are the D192 which is a fast route through the Arpajon-Égly-Breuillet urban area and the D193 which connects to the D19. The commune is located four kilometres south of the Francilienne, a major regional axis that allows quick access to the A10 autoroute and A6 autoroute. The Bretigny-Tours railway passes across the commune from west to east with Arpajon C4 RER station in the south of the commune served by two trains per hour. The town is also served by: *Albatrans bus network: **Route 91.04 to Évry *Daniel Meyer bus network: **Route DM151 to Paris-Porte d'Orléans 19 **Route DM153 to Massy-Palaiseau **Route DM19 to Brétigny-sur-Orge 20 **Route DM20 to Arpajonnais Country between Égly and Norville 21 . *Ormont bus network: **Route 68.01 to Bruyeres-le-Chatel **Route 68.05 to Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon 22, 23 . *Savac bus network: **Route 39.18 to Limours-en-Hurepoix 24 . *CEAT bus network: **Route 10.20 from Paris to Angerville **Route 10.21 from Paris to Méréville There are also some shuttle buses providing free transport in the commune with some dedicated to the elderly. Orly Airport is located 18 kilometres away and accessible by Route nationale 20. Charles de Gaulle Airport is located 51 km away. For general aviation the Étampes - Mondésir Aerodrome (

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

: LFOX) is 27 kilometres away.

Localities, places, and areas

The commune is not extensive so it does not any division into districts. Nevertheless, it is possible to distinguish the city centre, the railway station area, and the Cerpied Mill. In the north, nearby, is a place called ''La Montagne'' in reference to the slope to get there from the city centre and, in the extreme north, there is the former Folies quarter which has now become the business district of Butte-aux-Grès. A second business area, Les Belles-Vues, is reminiscent of the once agricultural character of the commune.

Toponymy

The

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

s placed a castrum to monitor the passage of along the Orge between ''Lutèce'' and Cenabum. The castrum became ''Chastres'' around the year 250 then ''Châtres'' (sometimes ''Châtres-sous-Montlhery'') in the 17th century with the reform of spelling and the appearance of the

circumflex The circumflex () is a diacritic in the Latin and Greek scripts that is also used in the written forms of many languages and in various romanization and transcription schemes. It received its English name from "bent around"a translation of ...

in place of the silent "s". ''Chastres'' could also mean "land of rivers" in "the barbarian language". In 1720 Louis de Severac, who was from the Arpajon family of Rouergue bought the marquisate of Châtres. He obtained the privilege of giving his name to the city from the

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Philippe d'Orléans and he called it ''Arpajon'', spreading the use of the name by beating the peasants who had the misfortune to answer ''Châtres'' to the question "where do you reside?". In 1794 Philippe de Noailles and his wife Anne d'Arpajon, first lady of honour to Marie-Antoinette, were guillotined. In 1793 the commune took the name of ''Franc-val'' or ''Franeval'' but returned to Arpajon in 1801. Similar to

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

and

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

the preposition "in" is not used. "A residence at Arpajon" is correct while "a residence in Arpajonnais" is also correct usage.

History

Origins

At the time of

Roman Gaul Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacent parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century B ...

there was a castrum was installed at the intersection of the road from ''Lutèce'' to Cenabum and the river Orge in the valley that was the territory of the Parisii tribe. The discovery in 1960 of the remains, which included a Gallo-Roman cemetery, certify this ancient occupation. The evolution of the name to ''Chastres'' is sometimes dated to the year 250. Two megalithic monuments remain: one in the Library Park and the other near the Rémarde river an inscription in Gallic was found in 1947 and is kept in the Municipal Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

From Chastres to Arpajon

In the 10th century the first church was built in the village but it was quickly ruined. In 1006 the rebuilding of the church and steeple was entrusted to the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maur by Renaud de Vendôme,

bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been create ...

and it was consecrated to Pope Clement I. They added a

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

, a priory, and a

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

. A document dated 1265 attests to the presence of a Hotel-Dieu at Arpajon for the accommodation of travelers and the poor. There were also several mills on the Orge and the Rémarde. The town was fortified and had five entrances. In 1317 Pierre de Chastres was buried in the parish church. In 1360, during the Hundred Years War, the city was besieged by King

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

of England and the church where there were eight hundred refugees was burned leaving no survivors. Arpajon Halles 700

In 1470 the lordship of Chastres belonged to the lord of Marcoussis. In July 1470 King

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

authorised two fair days at Chastres for his counselor and chamberlain Jean du Graville by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

. Louis Malet de Graville built a

market hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...

at the crossroads of the Paris to Étampes and Dourdan to Corbeil roads. In 1510 the monks, through the generosity of the Graville and Montagu families undertook major renovations of the church and in 1542 a sub-delegation of Chastres was attached to the ''Generality of Paris''. In 1545 the lordship of Chastres became independent. In 1643 the bell named ''Antoinette'' was cast. On 28 April 1652 Turenne stationed his troops at Châtres to protect the court at Saint-Germain before he marched on Étampes on 3 May. In 1717 the Hotel-Dieu was completely rebuilt. In 1720 Louis de Severac, Marquis of Arpajon from the great medieval family of Arpajon, bought and obtained from Philippe d'Orléans the privilege of giving his name to the commune. However, the adoption of the new name took a long time and peasants who refused to abandon the name of Châtres were beaten up. He also promised to reduce local taxes for two years. The Canting arms of the city come from this family. In 1733 he knocked down the old city gate in the north which was too narrow for many carts and instead erected two

Pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s which are the current ''Porte de Paris''. He died on 21 August 1736 and was buried in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

of the parish church.

The French Revolution and growth

In 1782

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

installed a

lightning rod A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted ...

on the spire of the Church of Saint Clement. At the Revolution the town chose to adopt the name of ''Francval''. There was a custom to give the name of the place of baptism as a second or third name: thus a boy was named Francval in year II. Philippe de Noailles was lord of Arpajon and he was long in great favour at court with his wife being first lady of honour to

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

, nicknamed by her Madame

Etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

. This Court favour brought down punishment in the days of the Revolution and the old marshal and his wife were guillotined on 27 June 1794. The castle was sold in 1802 and demolished. In 1800 the Canton of Arpajon was created then attached to the Arrondissement of Corbeil in the department of Seine-et-Oise. In 1806

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and Empress Josephine visited the town and made offering at the high altar of the church. In 1833 a large Post and Telegraph office was opened. ;Modernisation of Arpajon in the 19th century PagodeTonkinoiseArpajon

In 1851 the Martin brothers, originating from

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

, set up a shoe factory which, in 1900, employed 450 adults and about 50 children. It was bought by ''André shoes'' in 1920 and closed its doors forever in 1956. In 1868 the commune built a

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

for use instead of the feudal castle. Then, in 1889, it bought the Pagoda that was presented by Tonkin during the Universal Exhibition of Paris. In the same year the ''Compagnie de chemin de fer sur route de Paris à Arpajon'' (Railway Company for the Paris to Arpajon route) which in 1893 opened the Porte d'Orléans-Antony and Antony-Longjumeau-Montlhery sections then the Montlhery-Arpajon section in 1894 for passengers. In the surrounding villages of Marcoussis, Linas, and Montlhéry, market gardening was very important and from 1911 to 1936 led to expansion of the railway to transport tomatoes, strawberries, and beans grown in the fields to the Paris markets. In the second half of the 19th century the ''Boulevard de la Gare'' was opened with the inauguration of the railway station in 1865 and the construction of holiday villas. Image:ARPAJON - La Gare.JPG, Arpajon railway station at the beginning of the 20th century. Image:ARPAJON - Station des Tramways.jpg, The Arpajonnais tramway station behind Arpajon railway station was used at the beginning of the 20th century by the CGB. Image:Arpajonhalle1920.jpg, The covered market at the beginning of the 20th century.

Modern History

In 1922 the first ''Bean Fair'' was inaugurated which was classified as a national fair in 1970. On 6 July 1924 on the long, straight Route nationale 20 between Arpajon and Torfou, René Thomas set a land speed record of in a Delage called ''La Torpille'' (The Torpedo) followed, on 12 July 1924, by Ernest A.D. Eldridge who increased the record to in a Fiat Special called ''Mephistopheles II''. In 1934 the Hôtel-Dieu became a hospice as a result of the construction of the first hospital outside the town. On 22 August 1944 the commune was liberated by the Leclerc division. In 1948 Abel Cornaton, mayor of the commune, endowed the ''municipal showers'' which became the district court in 1985. On 23 April 1977 Arpajon was on the path of the ''Tour cycliste de l'Essonne''. On 1 January 1968, after the breakup of Seine-et-Oise department, Arpajon was integrated into the new French department of

Heraldry

Politics and Administration

Local politics

Arpajon is the chief town of the canton represented by the general counsel Christian Béraud ( PS), mayor of the commune. It is attached to the third electoral district of Essonne and represented by MP Michel Pouzol (PS). Its current mayor is Christian Beraud (PS) who is assisted by eight deputy mayors chosen from a municipal council of 29 elected members. INSEE has assigned the code 91 3 01 021 41. Arpajon commune is recorded in the register of companies under the code SIREN 219 100 211. Its activity is registered under code APE 8411Z. In 2009 the commune had a budget of €16,504,000 of which €11,359,000 was Operational and €5,145,000 investment, of which 34.85% is funded by local taxes. Municipal debt in the same year was €487,000. In 2009 the tax rate was 11.78% for the residential tax, 14.74% Developed Property tax, 46.78% for undeveloped property, and 15.09% for the business tax fixed by the inter-communality. The commune has a communal social welfare centre and, in 2017, had 942 HLM housing units or 19.6% of all main residences. The town is part of the

communauté d'agglomération Cœur d'Essonne Communauté d'agglomération Cœur d'Essonne (also: ''Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération'') is an agglomeration community, an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, a southern suburb of Paris. It is located in th ...

which includes 21 communes, and is responsible for economic development, town planning and roads, social housing policy, sports, culture and early childhood, collection and treatment of garbage, and welcoming travelers. It also is a member of the Joint Association of the valley of the Orge (SIVOA) with 32 other communes for the preservation and enhancement of the environment. List of Successive Mayors ;Mayors from 1938

Political tendencies

Politics in Arpajon in recent years have been characterized by ambivalent results which frequently follow national trends. The commune, which has sometimes been rightist, swung to a narrow lead in 2001 for the left with the election of Pascal Fournier (Socialist) who was elected in the first round in 2008 with 77.29% of the vote. In fact, local elections (cantonal or regional) have always been won by the left except for the partial cantonal elections in 2004 resulting in only 50.87% for Philippe Le Fol (DVD). Conversely, and always in accordance with the national results, the elections of 2002 and 2007, as with the presidential elections in 2002 and 2007, were largely won by the parliamentary right. In 2002 the result for

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Le Pen (), was a French politician, lawyer and activist. He founded the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party and served as the party's presi ...

(18.20%) was higher in Arpajon as compared to the national (17.79%) and the departmental (15.04%) figures. Similarly, Arpajon voters followed the national movement during the European elections in 2004 where the left was ahead of the right but at the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe the "no" won.

Education

Arpajon schools are attached to the ''Academy of Versailles''. The commune has the ''Édouard-Herriot'' primary school, the ''Anatole France'' and ''La Rémarde'' kindergartens, and the ''Victor Hugo'' elementary school. In addition there is the private Catholic Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc school in the Diocese. Strangely the town does not have a college and students attend the Jean Moulin and Albert Camus colleges in the neighbouring commune of La Norville or the Roland Garros college in Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon. Because of its status as capital of the canton, however, there are three higher schools, the Edmond Michelet general and technological school which provides training in BTS IRIS., the René-Cassin general and technological which had an 88% pass-rate for the baccalauréat in 2007, and the Paul Belmondo professional school. The premises of the hospital centre is also a training centre for caregivers. An information and referral center is present in the commune. Recreation centres cater for children outside school hours and two crèches welcome young children. The CIPF is present in the town.

Health

The commune has a hospital with a capacity of 302 beds, offering services such as:

Surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

Obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

Pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

Gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...

, Diabetology,

Cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

, Pneumology, and

Radiography Radiography is an imaging technology, imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiog ...

. An ambulance service supplemented by a mobile emergency and resuscitation service is active for 42 neighbouring communes. The centre is spread over four sites: the central hospital, the rehabilitation centre in the neighbouring commune of Égly, and the ''Village du Pays'' retirement homes at Châtres and Guinchard, the latter hosting

Alzheimer Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

day patients. A family planning centre and a maternal and child healthcare centre are located in the commune. The private hospital of Paris-Essonne, formerly the Charmilles Clinic, completes the offering with 60 beds, a surgery, and a specialization in pathologies of the face:

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

, oto-rhino-laryngology, and

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

. In the town there are 47 doctors and 12 dentists are in private practice. There also 4 pharmacies.

Public services

Security in the commune is ensured by the presence of a police commisariat as well as a fire and rescue centre. Public service bodies are relatively numerous in Arpajon which has a postal agency an Employment office and ASSEDICs, a Treasury and Tax centre a family allowance office a primary health insurance office, and a subdivision of the DDE. Two notarial offices, a bailiff's office, and two lawyers attached to the bar of Évry is located in the town. From 1985 to 2009 a Registry of the District Court was installed in the town. Before the reform of the justice system the commune had a District Court but now depends on the one at

Longjumeau Longjumeau () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne department, France. It is located south from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' () in French. History Longjumeau Party Sch ...

, as with the Labour Court, the High Court, and the Commerce Court at Évry which are all attached to the Court of Appeal of Paris.

Twinning

Arpajon has twinning associations with: * Freising (Germany) since 1990.

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arpajonnais'' or ''Arpajonnaises'' in French. Arpajon has seen demographic evolution of a town now part of the Paris Urban Area. From 1,988 inhabitants in Arpajon counted in the first census of 1793, the population grew slowly until the first demographic accident in 1846 when the population dropped to 2,017 and a second more important one in 1856 when it dropped to 1,890. Thereafter the demography increased up to 2,822 in 1872 to relatively stabilize before a new sustained growth after of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

with 3,221 in 1921. The population increased again after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

despite the 139 civilian and military casualties from both conflicts. After the construction of large housing estates the population reached 4,550 people in 1954, 8,105 in 1975 and 9,668 in the 2006 census. In 1999 10.8% of Arpajon people were foreigners and 14% of households consisted of single-parent families or 2 percent more for each category compared to the departmental figures. Among the foreign population, 3.4% were from Portugal, 1.6% from Morocco and Turkey, 1.3% from Algeria, 0.3% from Tunisia, and 0.2% for Spain and Italy. In 2017 the commune had 10,378 inhabitants.

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Arpajon and Essonne Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Arpajon (91021)
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Economy

As the capital of Arpajonnais and a historic land of market gardening, the commune has long been a place of trade and known for its fair since the 13th century. It has now lost the agricultural role (only three farms remain) and commerce favours other communes in the Canton. It remains, however, with a town centre with plenty of shops gathered around a merchants association. More than six hundred businesses are located in the commune with nearly a third of these shops. In 2004 52 new businesses were created in the commune. Two industrial areas include most of the other businesses: the Belles-Vues and the Butte-aux-Grès, both located in the north of the commune along Route nationale 20. Arpajon is grouped into the labour pool (''zone d'emploi'') of Saclay by INSEE. In 2017 the Arpajon workforce was 5,365 people divided into 28.2% of employees, 27.0% of middle management, and 21.3% of workers. There were three people employed in agriculture. On the same date 10.3% of the active population was unemployed and only 18.7% worked in the commune.Dossier complet, Commune d'Arpajon (91021)
on the INSEE website, consulted on 1 September 2020 With 800 employees, the hospital is the largest employer, followed distantly by the family allowance office (300 staff), the René-Cassin School, and the municipality itself with 200 employees each. A market is held in the covered market every Friday morning.

Employment, income and standard of living

In 2017 the median income in the town stood at 20,700 euros, but 41% of the population was not liable for the income tax. 57.9% of main residences in Arpajon were rented, including 19.6% in HLM type dwellings. In 2010 the median household income tax was €28,718, placing Arpajon at 16,379th place among the 31,525 communes with more than 39 households in France.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The War Memorial 1914-1918 at Avenue de la Division Leclerc (20th century) *The Municipal Showers (1947) *The Town Hall (1868). The Town Hall contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A Clock (19th century) **A set of 4 light fittings (20th century) **A set of 3 Chandeliers (20th century) **A Hearth (2) (19th century) **A Hearth (1) (19th century) **A Bust: Marianne (20th century) **A Mural Painting: The communal genius presiding over great acts of civil life (1870) *The Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Antoine and Saint-Sulpice (19th century). was founded in the 12th century to house pilgrims on the road to Saint Jacques de Compostela and became a hospital under the Revolution. It was completely rebuilt from 1819 to 1852 and is still used as a retirement home 120 . Adds the hall built in 1868 121 enhanced by the place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in 1776 and refurbished in 1868 ranked since 1944 122 . The Hôtel-Dieu contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A Bell called Marie (1517) **A Painting: Rest during the flight from Egypt (19th century) *An Ornamental Garden (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée *A Lavoir (Public laundry) (1748) *The Town Hall Square (Place de la Mairie) (1776) *The War Memorial at Place de la Mairie (20th century) *The Porte de Paris city gate (1730) *The Railway Station (19th century) *The Covered Market (1470). The covered market is 35 metres long and 18 metres wide. *Arpajon Town (16th-20th century) In addition there are a very large number of houses that are registered as historical monuments.

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The Tomb of A. Paragot and A. Servant (19th century) *The Tomb of the Buard-Lanelongue family (19th century) *The Funeral Chapel of the Anglade-Debauge family (20th century) *The Tomb of Eugène Lagauche (1906) *The Tomb of the Betrouille-Dupouet family (19th century) *The Funeral Chapel of the Laperche family (20th century) *The Tomb of Cécile Guinchard and Jean Georges Lainé (19th century) *The Parish Church of Saint-Clement (11th century). The church contains a very large number of items that are registered as historical objects. ;Stained Glass in the Church of Saint-Clement File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 674.JPG, The Church of Saint Clement File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 676.JPG File:Arpajon-St-Clément-nef-.jpg, The Nave File:Arpajon-St-Clément-choeur.jpg, The Choir File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 255.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 684.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 678.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 686.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 694.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 685.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 689.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 691.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 248.JPG File:Arpajon Saint-Clément 250.JPG

Environmental heritage

Although 80% of the communal area is urban there are still some parks and public gardens. The oldest, at 4 rue Henri Barbusse, was created in the 19th century. Five other parks adorn the city: Chevrier Park, Freising Park, 100 Grande Rue Park, Théophile Guesdon Park, and Rémarde Park. The banks of the Rémarde and the Orge are still mostly natural. This environmental heritage has allowed Arpajon to be rewarded by three flowers in the competition of cities and villages in Bloom since 2008. The north-west of the commune still has cultural areas recalling the agricultural character of the town that specialised in market gardening.

Daily life in Arpajon

Culture

For cultural events the commune has the Francval Exhibition Hall. The cinema is popular and has five theatres which sometimes show Arthouse films. There is a school of music and dance and a library in the old chateau stables. There are many associations working for the promotion and dissemination of culture.

Sports

The relatively small size of the commune does not allow it to have any important sports infrastructure. Two stadia are nearby: Gaston-Cornu at Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon and Louis Babin at La Norville. La Norville also has a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

. There are 19 associations in the commune. Arpajon town was traversed by the ''Tour cycliste de l'Essonne'' in 1977 and was a stage city for the 1999 Tour de France. As well as the Bean Fair the commune also organises a hiking rally and a bicycle race.

Festivities

There are two main events each year at Arpajon: *The Carnival of Bineau, in which a representation of the steward is burned in Châtres Square, takes place every year on the first Sunday of March. *The Foire aux haricots (The Bean Festival) started in 1922 and was recognised as a national fair in 1970. It is a trade and crafts event which is held every third weekend in September over 4 days in memory of the market gardening that there was in the commune in the past. The bean celebrated here is the ''chevrier''. There are other national events such as the Fête de la Musique (Festival of Music) which are celebrated in the commune.

Places of Worship

Arpajon Catholic parish is part of the Diocese of Évry-Corbeil-Essonnes and the deanery of Trois-Vallées-Arpajon. The church is dedicated to Pope Clement I. There is a Protestant evangelical church in the commune. Other denominations do not have a place of worship in the commune.

Media

The ''Cœur Essonne'' (Heart of Essonne) edition of the weekly ''Le Républicain'' contains local information on Arpajon. Despite its enclosed location geographically, the commune lies in the transmission area of

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

Paris Île-de-France Centre, IDF1, and Télévision Île-de-France (Télif).

Arpajon in arts and culture

The proximity of Paris and the nearby presence of film studios at Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon has meant that Arpajon has appeared in various films: *In 1960 the covered market and the Porte de Paris appeared in '' Le Président'' by Henri Verneuil *In 1962 the Thirion shop appeared in ''La Vie à la française'' (French Life) *In 1966 the commune appeared in ''Paris brûle-t-il ?'' (Is Paris burning?) by

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films ''The Battle of the Rails'' (1946), ''Forbidden Games'' (1952), ''Gervaise (film), Gervaise'' (1956), ''Purple No ...

The action of the film ''3 zéros'' (Shooting Stars) by Fabien Onteniente released in 2002 137 takes place in Arpajon, but only one scene is set there: Ticky Holgado toured the market place by bicycle. There is a legend that the name ''Bineau'' of a carnivalesque character recalls a steward who was granted a '' Droit du seigneur'' on the ladies of the village and was burned alive as punishment.

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

located part of his novel ''Un début dans la vie'' (A start in life) in Arpajon: "As for Mr. Serisy, he did not emigrate during the Revolution, he went to his Serizy land at Arpajon, where the respect that he had from his father saved him from all evil" The character of a "Countess of Arpajon" appears in the work ''À la recherche du temps perdu'' (In Search of Lost Time) by

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

in the volumes '' Sodome et Gomorrhe'' (Sodom and Gomorrah) and '' Le Temps retrouvé'' (Time Regained). The ''Chevrier'' bean is also called the bean of Arpajon.

Notable people linked to the commune

* Saint Corbinian(680-730),

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and Catholic

Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

lived there. *René Liger (?-1801), Priest and

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

iste lived there. *Louis Bérard (1783-1859), politician and was the MP for there. * Félix Potin (1820-1871), businessman, was born there. *Charles Truche (1870-1951), microbiologist, discovered an anti- pneumococcal serum and a method of culture that bears his name (milieu T), pioneer of avian influenza, was born and buried in the commune. *Louis Babin (8 August 1889 – 15 December 1941), doctor and

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

. Denounced the Germans as

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

. He was shot with 8 others at ''Camp de Choisel''.Louis Babin (deceased)
* Camille Danguillaume (1919-1950), racing cyclist, died in the commune. * David Galula (1919-1967), Lieutenant-colonel, died in the commune. * François-Alexandre Galepide called ''Moustache'' (1929-1987), musician and comedian, died in the commune. * Joël Robuchon (1945-), famous chef, received the Gold Medal of the City of Arpajon in 1966. * René Fontaine (1946-), chocolatier, worked sometimes at Arpajon. * François-Michel Gonnot (1949-), politician, born in the commune. * Wadeck Stanczak (1961-), actor, born in the commune. * Emmanuel Collard (1971-), racing driver, born in the commune. * Sébastien Hamel (1975-), footballer, born in the commune.

References

External links

Official website

Arpajon and the surrounding area
* *
Arpajon on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Arpajon'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{Authority control Communes of Essonne